EU-Ukraine Summit: key points of the Joint statement

The leaders of the European Union and Ukraine meeting at their annual summit in Brussels on Feb. 25 have reaffirmed their commitment to sign the already initialed Association Agreement, as soon as Ukraine shows “tangible progress in the three areas emphasized at the 2011 EU-Ukraine Summit.”

The Joint statement of the summit contained, in particular, the following points:

On the Association Agreement: “The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the signing of the already initialed Association Agreement, including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, as soon as determined action and tangible progress are demonstrated in the three areas emphasized at the 2011 EU-Ukraine Summit, possibly by the time of the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November 2013.”

On macro-financial assistance: “The leaders welcomed the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding and Loan Agreement for EU Macro-Financial Assistance to Ukraine of up to €610M which will complement a future agreement between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund.”

On the elections: The leaders “agreed on the importance of follow up to electoral irregularities, including early steps to establish a reliable electoral legislation by giving consideration to an Election Code and clear rules for balanced media access for electoral competitors, in close consultation with the OSCE/ODIHR and the Council of Europe/Venice Commission, as well as addressing the inconclusive results in single mandate constituencies.

On the judiciary: The leaders “looked forward to an early indepth review of the laws and legislation on the functioning of the Prosecutor’s Office, on the role of the High Council of Justice, on the Judicial System and the Status of Judges as well as a reform of Criminal Code and the Police, in close consultation with the Council of Europe/Venice Commission.”

On the Association Agenda: The leaders “stressed the importance of overall reinforcement of its implementation and its early update.”

On the free trade area: “The leaders agreed on the importance of progressing on reforms needed to prepare for a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) in line with the Association Agenda and the need to refrain from any measures going against the spirit of the DCFTA. They reiterated their full commitment to the principles of rule-based bilateral liberalisation embodied in the DCFTA, in particular by refraining from introducing protectionist measures.”

On energy: “The leaders noted with satisfaction that since November 2012, Ukraine has been connected to the EU gas market through effective bi-directional gas flows. Recent investments by European energy companies in Ukraine were considered a positive development to link Ukraine to the European market.”

On the common aviation area: “The leaders noted that the finalization of negotiations on a Common Aviation Area Agreement will be a priority for 2013.”

On visas: The leaders “paid particular attention to citizens’ mobility, recalling the shared commitment to move towards a visa-free travel regime in due course, provided the conditions for well-managed and secure mobility are in place. They took positive note of Ukraine’s progress in the implementation of the first phase of the Action Plan on Visa Liberalisation and the increased efforts towards fulfillment of the benchmarks.”